Vintage Science Fiction Review Round Up!

Goodness, it’s already January 19th? When did that even happen? Apparently I am starting out 2018 with terrible time management skills.

Thank you to everyone is who participating in Vintage Science Fiction month, I hope you’ve taken an opportunity to pick up an author you’ve never read before, a title you’ve never read before, or even used this month as a time to revisit your favorite classics. This year’s Vintage Month has been a little on the quiet side, and you know what? I am a 110% OK with that.

If you’re interested in exploring Vintage Science Fiction titles, and seeing what your friends are up to, these links are for you!

The Howling Frog has been enjoying some excellent Leigh Brackett novels, reviewing The Reavers of Skaith, The Hounds of Skaith, and The Ginger Star. (If the name Leigh Brackett rings a bell it’s because her Eric John Stark adventures are awesome, and oh yeah, she was one of the screenwriters for The Empire Strikes Back.)

My Reader’s Block read a buffet of short fiction in the 1966 edition of World’s Best Science Fiction, which included work by Simak, Fritz, Niven, Saberhagen, all the rock stars of that decade along with names she didn’t recognize. She gives a run down of every story, what a great snapshot of the Science Fiction short fiction of ’66! Not exactly Vintage, but filled with classic Star Trek injokes, she also had some fun with the new illustrated book Search For Spock.

Every Day Should be Tuesday gave five stars to Andre Norton’s The Beast Master. This is an excellently written review, with tidbits from what may have inspired portions of the book and what this book went on to influence. Norton is one of my favorite classic authors, I get a kick out of seeing her work still being enjoyed!

Bookforager enjoyedThe Continuous Katherine Mortenhoeby D.G. Compton. Written in the mid-70s, this novel is character driven, has touches of the upcoming cyberpunk trend, features a middle aged female protagonist, and a surprise reveal. I’m not familiar with Compton’s work, but after reading this review, I need to track down a copy of this book!

Kaedrin read Larry Niven’s classic Ringworld, which I like to think of as the novel that launched a thousand ideas, books, spin-offs, and video games. I don’t know about you, but I know I take for granted how much of an influence Ringworld has had on contemporary scifi ideas.

As for me, I’m reading quicker than I have time to review! I’m currently enjoying a volume of Clifford Simak short fiction. Mostly written between 1940 and 1960, his ideas are far ahead of their time – there is a time travel story in here that screams “The Company”, there is a story about vegetable intelligence that I’d love to discuss with an evolutionary biologist, there is a terrifying theory about how the dinosaurs were really wiped out, and it’s all just so damn readable!

Whatever book you pick up this weekend, be it Vintage or not, be it a new-to-you author or not, I wish you reading enjoyment and relaxation!

FTC Stuff

some of the books reviewed here were free ARCs supplied by publishers/authors/other groups. Some of the books here I got from the library. the rest I *gasp!* actually paid for. I'll do my best to let you know what's what.